5 Mid-Majors Capable of a Surprise Sweet 16 Run

One of the most captivating parts of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is the so-called Cinderella runs of mid-majors into the second weekend of the tournament.

During last year's edition of the tournament, the Ohio Bobcats stole the show by defeating Michigan and South Florida in their first two games to earn a highly-publicized matchup with North Carolina.

The Bobcats eventually lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16, but they were just the most recent example of a mid-major taking the nation by storm in March.

We have all gotten accustomed to seeing perennial mid-major powers like Gonzaga, Butler and Creighton make deep runs in March every season and that for that reason, those three teams will not be included on this list.

Other teams that are excluded from this list are the three Mountain West powerhouse programs—UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State—that have received plenty of national attention in the past few years.

As for the teams that are on the list, some are teams that have made the tournament before and have failed to pull off an upset and some are programs on the rise that could come out of complete obscurity to shock the nation this March.

Here are the five teams that are best suited to make a surprise Sweet 16 run this March.

Long Beach State

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Conference: Big West

Record: 8-8

The record of the Long Beach State 49ers may suggest that they will not make a run to sweet 16, but if you look closer at their schedule, you can understand why they are just at .500 so far this season.

The 49ers played one of the most difficult nonconference schedules in the nation with just four home games—two of which came against strong opposition in North Carolina and Fresno State.

Also included on the brutal nonconference schedule of the 49ers were road losses to Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and UCLA.

The 49ers showed plenty of resolve during their nonconference schedule and have rebounded nicely with a 4-1 record to start their Big West schedule.

If Dan Monson's 49ers continue their strong play in Big West games, they will be able to build plenty of momentum heading into March.

With a team that is already battle-tested against big-name opposition, the 49ers could be a very dangerous No. 12 or No. 13 seed when March rolls around.